


The Confines of Male Fashion

by marvelousrats



Series: GNC Sokka [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Basically Sokka's struggle with gender and also falling in love with Zuko, Eating Disorders, GNC Sokka, Gender non-conforming Sokka, Halloween, Honestly this whole thing is just so chaotic, Jet and Zuko being chaotic fuck buddies, M/M, Minor Character Death, Slow Burn, Suicidal Thoughts, Suki is an ICON, Vine refrences, using humor to cope, zukka is endgame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:20:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26924251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvelousrats/pseuds/marvelousrats
Summary: When Sokka was five, Katara made him sit down and watch Cinderella with her. He watched in awe when the Fairy Godmother waved her wand and a beautiful blue gown simmered on to the screen. He wanted a fairy godmother to give him a magic dress too.
Relationships: Bato/Hakoda (Avatar), Hakoda/Kya (Avatar), Jet/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Yue (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Suki/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Series: GNC Sokka [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1951213
Comments: 22
Kudos: 177





	1. Tragic Backstory

**Author's Note:**

> This is so much projecting oh my god.  
> Also this first chapter is SUPER angsty so I'm really sorry. Like I cried while I was writing it. I promise it's not this sad the whole way through.  
> You can give me a follow on tumblr [here](https://cowpokezuko.tumblr.com/) and instagram [here](https://www.instagram.com/thepoormediocreartist/) for some really cool art

When Sokka was five, Katara made him sit down and watch  _ Cinderella _ with her. He watched in awe when the Fairy Godmother waved her wand and a beautiful blue gown simmered on to the screen. He wanted a fairy godmother to give him a magic dress too. The closest he got was dragging his parents into the Disney store the next time they went to the mall. Kya helped him and Katara find the right dresses. For Sokka it was a light blue Cinderella dress and for Katara it was Aurora's blue dress. Hakoda picked him up so he could pick out a matching crown. He put it one when he got home and dragged Katara outside to have a fake sword fight with sticks. When they were out of earshot Hakoda wrapped an arm around Kya’s waist and said “Do you think he’s... y’know?”

“He’s five, Hakoda.” 

“I watched Grease for the first time when I was five and I knew then and there.” Hakoda chuckled. 

“Your first crush was John Travolta?” She smiled. 

“Him and Mandy.” He shrugged. “Who was yours, Ms Judgey?”

“Han Solo, and that’s Mrs Judgey to you.” She replied.

“You have excellent taste.” He leaned down and kissed her head. 

~*~

When Sokka came home from kindergarten crying about the boy who made fun of his dress, Hakoda held him in his arms and whispered words of comfort. He almost warned Sokka about wearing a dress in public, but he didn’t want to kill the glimmer in the boy’s eyes. Instead, he took Sokka outside and started teaching him basic self defense moves. Sokka practiced gleefully and ran to Katara to teach her the same moves. Sokka’s blue dress was stained with dirt and he and Katara had matching cuts and bruises by the time the two finished tussling. Kya placed little Pokemon band-aids over the small wounds and pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads. Sokka stopped wearing his dress to school after that. 

~*~

Sokka was wearing a skirt when he and Hakoda got the news that Katara and Kya had been in a car accident and were now in the hospital. He was nine and had spent the morning playing with the neighborhood kids while Katara had to go to a dentist appointment. He felt bad for feeling that way as he sat in the truck with Hakoda and Bato as they drove to the hospital. He hugged his knees tight to his chest, the long black skirt hiding the bruises he’d gotten the day before playing with Kya and Katara. He felt even worse about his careless morning as he sat in the waiting room, playing with the hem of his skirt and biting back tears. Hakoda rubbed his son’s back, telling him everything was going to be okay and trying to believe that himself. Bato sat next to Hakoda, his arm draped over his shoulders. They were finally let into Kya’s room to say goodbye, Sokka could barely look her in the eyes.

“You look so handsome,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. His eyes watered as she gingerly hugged his neck, he looked up at Hakoda, who was stroking his wife’s hair. Then to Bato, who stood behind him, watching one of his best friends slowly slip away. He turned back to his mother. “Take care of Katara, my brave little warrior.” 

“I w-will,” he promised. He buried his face in his shoulder, sobs shaking his body. 

“I love you, Sokka. I will always love you.” She pressed a hand to his cheek and he tried to smile at her.

“I l-love you too, Mama,” he said, his breath shaky. He leaned in so she could kiss his forehead. 

She turned to look at Hakoda. “My love, thank you for the best years of my life.” She smiled weakly. “Do whatever it takes to be happy, you deserve it. Please don’t blame yourself for this. It isn’t your fault. Promise me that.” 

Hakoda nodded and said “I promise, Kya.” His tears dripped into her hair. 

“Bato, take care of my husband. He needs it,” she said. 

“Of course, Kya. I always have.” He placed a hand on Hakoda’s shoulder. 

“Thank you.” She smiled. She looked at Hakoda. “I love you, Koda.” 

“I love too, Ky.” Hakoda said. He kissed her one more time before the heart monitor flatlined. Sokka buried his face in the soft skin of her neck and cried. He and Hakoda didn’t leave her side until the doctor came and told them Katara was out of surgery. 

“She’s asleep right now, but she’ll pull through,” he said. “You can see her now if you want.” 

Hakoda nodded solemnly, still petting Kya’s hair. “Than-ehem, thank you, Doctor.” The doctor smiled sadly and left the room. “Sokka, do you want to go see Katara?” 

“I want to stay with Mama!” he wailed. He threw his arms over her chest and sobbed. 

“Okay, kiddo.” Hakoda wiped his eyes. “Bato, can you stay with him?”

“Yeah, go see your daughter.” He squeezed Hakoda’s shoulder, tears clouding his eyes. Hakoda pulled him into a tight hug before he left the room. Bato pulled a chair up to Kya’s bed and took her cold hand into his. 

The two sat with her body late into the night. When Sokka fell asleep on her chest, Bato picked him up and carried him to Katara’s room. “How is she?” He asked Hakoda when he walked in. 

“Still sleeping,” he said. 

“So is he. Should I take him home?” He bounced the boy on his hip. 

“Yeah, I’m going to stay with Katara. I’ll call you if she wakes up.” Hakoda smiled sadly. 

“Okay, make sure to eat something, Koda. I’ll be back in the morning,” Bato said. “Call your Mom.”

“Oh fuck,” he broke down again. He dropped his head into his hands, tears rolling down his face. Bato set Sokka down on a chair and comforted the man. Eventually Hakoda stopped crying. “Take him home. He needs his sleep.” Bato nodded and carried Sokka out to the car, the sun still shining in the sky despite it being nearly 11pm. He kept it together the whole ride home and carried Sokka up to his room. He finally lost it when he got down to the living room. He slept on the couch that night. 

When he woke up, he felt numb. His best friend had died. He made himself get up and check the answering machine. Nothing yet. Then he made a pot of coffee. He sat at the kitchen table, staring off into space, his mind static. Sokka wandered into the kitchen a while later. 

“Is Mama really gone?” He asked, rubbing his eyes. He was still wearing the same shirt as yesterday, but he had changed into a pair of pyjama pants. A stuffed squirtle hanging in his arm.

“Yeah, she is.” He pursed his lips. “I’m so sorry, Sokka.”

“Did Katara die too?”

“No, she’s gonna be okay, kiddo.” To his surprise, Sokka threw himself into his arms. Bato hugged the kid while he cried until Sokka’s stomach let out a large grubble. Sokka sat at the table, fiddling with the stuffed animal while Bato made him a plate of eggs with bits of seal jerky sprinkled in. He scooped some onto Sokka’s plate and sat down across the table from him, unable to bring himself to eat. The boy wolfed down his breakfast, only pausing to wipe his nose. 

Bato and Sokka went back to the hospital to sit with Hakoda and Katara. A collective sigh of relief passed through the three of them when her eyes fluttered open. Sokka leapt up from his chair and pulled his sister into a tight hug. She winced a little when he squeezed on her bandages. “You’re okay,” he cried into her shoulder. “You’re alive.” He felt his dad put his arms around his and Katara’s shoulders. 

“Where’s Mom?” Katara asked in a small voice. 

“Katara, I’m so sorry, she, she didn’t make it.” Hakoda said and tightened his grip on his children. 

“W-what?” She looked up at her father, her eyes shining with tears. 

“She passed away, sweetie,” he said. She buried her face in his shirt and sobbed. Seeing his little sister so hurt just made Sokka cry harder. 

~*~

Sokka and Katara sat on the living room couch in traditional caribou furs before the funeral. Kanna and Pakku sat on either side of them, keeping them in line while Bato helped Hakoda get ready for the funeral. His eyes were red and puffy when he came out of his bedroom, Bato’s arm wrapped around his shoulders. Bato drove the six of them to the ceremony in a sad silence. As Sokka stood by the casket, he saw Katara slip Kya’s necklace off her neck and into her pocket. She put a finger to her lips when she saw him looking, he nodded and kept quiet. 

He hid his black skirt in the back of his closet that day and stopped wearing dresses. 

~*~ 

When he was 15, his girlfriend Yue sat on his lap with her hair wrapped in aluminum and bleach while she did his makeup. She asked him to help her dye her hair before she had to go to chemotherapy and he happily agreed. After they finished applying the bleach, she asked if she could do his makeup while they waited for the chemicals to take effect. “Close your eyes so I can do your eyeliner.” Yue said, reaching for said eyeliner. He clenched his jaw as the cold liquid ran across his eyelid. “Okay, I’m gonna blow on it now.” His eyes twitched as she blew on the eyeliner to dry it. “Now open your eyes and take a look.” She held up a mirror. “You’re so pretty.” She smiled and kissed his nose. 

“Yue, you are the most talented, beautiful girl I have ever met.” He smiled, admiring the way the highlight shone on his cheekbone. He tilted his head up to kiss her, leaving a pink stain on her lips. 

She did his makeup one last time before she died. It looked perfect when she finished, but it was quickly ruined by tears. 

~*~

He was 18 and packing for college when he found the black skirt that he had hidden in his closet nearly a decade before. “Katara, look what I found!” He yelled down the stairs. 

“What?” She yelled back, thumping up the stairs. 

“It’s my old skirt.” He held it up when she appeared at the door. 

“Oh, I thought it was going to be something interesting.” She smirked. 

“Fuck off. It was, like, a thing for awhile.” He threw the skirt back into the closet. 

“Yeah, why’d you do that anyway?” 

“I don’t know, I just wanted to. Why should I limit myself to the confines of male fashion?” He shrugged. 

“Fair. How’s packing?” He glanced around at the piles of clothes and flopped onto his back. 

“It’s fine. I don’t know how we’re gonna fit all my stuff in the car, but I’ll figure it out.” He sighed. “I mean we’re just going to Minnesota, it’s not that far.” 

“It’s a day's drive, Sokka.” She chuckled and sat on the floor next to him. “I’m gonna miss you,” she said. 

“Oh, come on, don’t turn this into some dumb cheese fest.” He sat up and smiled at her. 

“You’re the one who called me up here to reminisce about something you did when you were  _ nine _ .” She scoffed. “Why’d you stop?” 

“That was the only skirt I had at the time and I was wearing it when Mom died. I couldn’t even look at it without thinking about that day. Then I never got a new skirt.” He looked up at his poster of the Rock. “Now I don’t want Dad to be disappointed in me.” 

“For wearing a skirt? You know he’s married to a man, right?” She gave him a sideways glance.

“No, I’m worried that he won’t think I’m man enough. It was different when I was just a kid, but now I’m a real legal adult. Now it just raises a lot of questions I really don’t want to answer.” He tucked his knees under his chin. 

“I’m sure Dad’ll be proud of you no matter what you do,” she said. “So will I.” 

“Thanks, Kat. I appreciate it,” he said. “I’m still a boy, by the way. I’m not trying to be a girl even though I want to wear a skirt.” 

“Okay.” Katara nodded. 

“Also, I’m bi.” 

“You’re really just bearing your soul to me today, huh.” She smiled softly and rubbed his arm. 

“Shut up. I’m moving out and I just want to get it off my chest.” He smiled back. 

“Thanks for trusting me.” 

“Hey, If I can’t trust kin, who can I trust?” He bumped her shoulder with his. The two siblings sat in a comfortable silence until Hakoda called them down for dinner. 


	2. Mercedes S-Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Sokka hang out after a frat party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW Eating disorders, vomiting (not related to the ed), and alcohol poisoning.  
> Also Zuko's experience with ed is mostly me projecting so please leave me alone for cracking jokes about it. It's a ~coping mechanism~  
> I know the last chapter was like really sad, that is not what the rest of this fic it. It is mostly stupid.  
> I wrote this chapter while watching Top Gear, which is the best tv show ever, so there's a lot of car talk. Just let it happen.  
> You can give me a follow on tumblr [here](https://cowpokezuko.tumblr.com/) and instagram [here](https://www.instagram.com/thepoormediocreartist/) for some really cool art including Sokka in a skirt.  
> 

College was the perfect environment for Sokka. There were new things happening almost constantly, there were plenty of new people to meet, and the food was okay, if a little bland. He was especially excited about his art class, not because he was particularly good at it, but because he was seated next to a cute boy with long black hair and a massive scar that marred his pale skin. 

“Hi, I’m Sokka,” he said. They were sitting in the back, waiting for class to start. 

“I’m Zuko.” The boy replied, his voice quiet and raspy. 

“What’s your major?” 

“I’m in the pre-law program.” 

“Cool, that’s cool.” Sokka tittered, looking for more words. “Why are you taking an art class then?” 

“I need a fine arts credit.” He shrugged. “What’s your major?” 

“Mechanical engineering. I’m just taking this class ‘cause I like art.” He leaned back in his chair and stretched. 

“Wow, that’s pretty ambitious,” Zuko said.

“So is pre-law,” Sokka said. The professor cleared his throat and the two turned to the front. Over the next few weeks, Sokka developed a crush on Zuko. He enjoyed the man’s dry sense of humor, the way he dressed like a either a goth librarian, occasionally featuring a  _ pince-nez, _ or Guy Fieri, and his rather impressive art skills. He quickly found out Zuko was a year ahead of him and lived in an apartment off campus. He was originally from California but moved to Minnesota with his uncle when he was sixteen. Sokka skirted around the topic of his scar, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. 

The two rarely saw each other outside of class, however, each having their own friends and activities. Sokka had been recruited to Quiz Bowl by his friend Suki and had started going to Geology club with his roommate, Haru. 

About a month later, they ended up running into each other at a party. Zuko was being dragged there by his friend Jet and Sokka was dragging Suki and Haru to said party. Sokka watched Zuko follow Jet around the party looking all broody for a while before he worked up enough courage and was buzzed enough to talk to him. “Hey, this… doesn’t seem like your scene.” Sokka leaned on the wall next to Zuko. 

“It’s really not. Jet just brings me along so he has someone to make out with at the end of the night. Or drive to him home, depending on how drunk we both are.” He shrugged and siped his wine. 

“Oh.” Sokka’s shoulders sagged. “Is he your boyfriend or something?” He asked, his eyes focused on the ground.

“God no.” Zuko chuckled. It was a nice sound and Sokka needed to hear it again. “He’s just,” he paused, his eyes searching his cup for the right word. “Easy. I know that’s kinda fucked up, but it works out mostly.” 

“Cool. So are you gay or…” He trailed off and looked up at Zuko.

“I’m bi. I just prefer guys,” he said.

“Yeah, me too. Well, the bi part. I usually prefer girls though,” he replied. “But I still like guys. I mean, obviously, that’s what bi means so of course I like guys. I just tend to go for girls.”

“Do you smoke?” Zuko asked, cutting off his rambling. 

“No.” 

“I do. C’mon.” He pushed off of the wall and the two of them wove their way through the crowd of sweaty bodies. They stepped out into the chilly October air. They walked down the steps of the Frat house and down the steep hill the city was built on. Sokka knew the walk back up the hill to the Campus was going to burn, but he was too buzzed and infatuated with the other man to care. Zuko pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the pocket of his overcoat and placed one between his lips. “Why’d you come down here for college?” He asked, flicking his lighter. 

“So I could meet new people? Get away from the garbage way Canada treats Native people? I feel like paying thousands of dollars for a college education?” He replied. “Actually I got a free ride, so that last one isn’t really applicable.” 

“You got a free ride?” Zuko raised his eyebrow. 

“Yeah.”

“No shit.” His lip curled up on one side. “Talk about smarter than you look.” 

“Fuck off.” Sokka smiled. “Where are we going?” 

“Dunno.” Zuko said around the cigarette. “There’s a good pizza place in Canal Park if you’re hungry.” 

“Always,” he said. “Bit of a walk though.” 

“Oh, I’m parked just over there so don’t worry about that.” He led Sokka over to a shiny black Mercedes. 

“Holy shit, you didn’t tell me you were rich.” He ran his hand down the hood of the car. 

“Daddy’s money.” He replied bitterly. 

“What does he do?” 

“He’s a CFO of a Fortune 500 company.” Zuko said as they got in the car. 

“Jesus. So you’re like rich rich. Like horrible capitalist rich.” Sokka raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah. Ironically I’m a socialist because I can feel basic human empathy and I value the life of other people.” He turned the key in the ignition, rolled down the window, and peeled out of the parking spot. “Here, can you text Jet for me? Tell him he has to figure out his own ride home.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Sokka. “He should be under the name ‘Communist’.” Sokka snorted and quickly texted the man, Before he gave Zuko his phone back he put his number and name in with a little heart emoji. He put Zuko’s phone in the center cup holder before texting Suki and Haru. Suki responded with some mildly obscene encouragement and Haru responded with a normal reply of acknowledgement.

“So, this is a fuckin’ sexy car,” Sokka said.

“Yeah, got her for my birthday. Honestly I don’t know dick about cars, she’s just pretty.” Zuko said, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel while they waited for the light to change.

“That’s fair, but your aesthetic taste chose well. I mean this really is a nice car. The only car I’ve ever gotten to drive is my dad’s shit pickup,” he said. 

“Maybe I’ll let you drive the Merc sometime,” Zuko said. 

“God, that would be the best thing in the world.” He smiled. Zuko nodded, but didn’t respond. Whether it be out of awkwardness or boredom of the topic, Sokka couldn’t be sure. Sokka sat in silence, only letting out the occasional cough from the oppressive smoke in the air. Zuko looked over at him after one such cough and flicked the cigarette out of the window. “Sorry. My lungs are already fucked, I shouldn’t condemn you to the same fate.” 

“I appreciate your kind thoughts.” Sokka snickered. They parked behind the pizza place and Sokka followed Zuko inside. It was a tiny place with lime green walls and a few wooden tables. There were landscape shots of Venice and Naples Italy on the wall and a Vespa scooter in the middle of the room. They had to order at the counter and Zuko paid for both of their meals. They sat at a table in the back corner and waited for their order. “Margherita pizza, huh?”

“Lingering effects of avoiding the Freshman 15.” Zuko replied. “Food isn’t really my thing.” 

“What does-oh. Shit, I’m sorry.” He looked at Zuko's hand and realized how skeletal it was. There was a slight tremor in it as he held his can of limonata and the circle under his undamaged eye was a dark purple. Zuko waved his other hand as if to say  _ it’s not your fault _ . 

“It’s no big deal. It’s just an undiagnosed eating disorder that affects most aspects of my life.” He looked at the can he was holding, his face set in a scowl. He shrugged his coat of his surprisingly broad shoulders and hung it over the back of his chair. Then he rolled up his sleeves, revealing the taught muscle underneath. Sokka bit his lip. 

“How are you so muscular if you have an eating disorder?” ‘ _ Oh my God, Sokka, you can’t just ask people why they’re muscular,’ _ Gretchen Weiners sounded in his head. 

“Obsessive dieting and a strict workout routine borne out of years of neglect and deep rooted self esteem issues.” Zuko shrugged and drummed his fingers on the table. “It’s easier to do martial arts than it is to address my emotions.” 

“Wow, we’re really getting into it tonight.” Sokka chuckled uncomfortably.

“Being mentally ill and also aware of that fact is a fuckin’ trip.” His thin lips slid into a bitter smile. When their number was called, Sokka got up and retrieved their order. He managed to pull the conversation out of the dark hole that they had previously dug as they ate. 

“Holy shit, this is so fuckin’ good.” Sokka mumbled around a bite of pizza. 

“I told you.” Zuko shrugged. “What do you want to do after this?” He stared at his pizza. 

“Oh, uh, I don’t know.” Sokka tucked a fly away hair back into his wolf tail. “Do you have anything to drink at your place?” 

“I think I have some wine, maybe some tequila.”

“Curse you Americans and your dumb fucking legal drinking age.” Sokka chuckled. “I should be able to walk into any bar and order a fuckin’ margarita.” 

“Wastin’ away again.” Zuko said, raising his drink. 

“You know Buffet?” Sokka grinned.

“I’m depressed and gay, of course I know Buffet,” Zuko replied. 

“Wow, really calling out my dad right now,” Sokka said. “You haven’t lived until you’re listening to Jimmy Buffet at 2 pm when it’s pitch black out, because you live in the Arctic and it’s winter, while one of your dads makes margaritas and the other one is cooking burgers.” He leaned back in his chair and smiled softly. 

“That sounds nice.” Zuko said, his brow furrowed. “You have two dads?”

“Yep. Canada is more garbage than the US gives it credit for, but at least we could get gay married way sooner than you guys.” He smirked. Zuko lips quirked up in a smile. 

“That’s how we do it ‘round these parts,” he said in a fake cowboy accent. “Yeehaw,” he added flatly.

“Didn’t peg you for a cowboy type. I figured you were more of a… gay librarian.” 

“Well, I am from California and I do own a horse.” He shrugged. 

“Country boy, I love you.” Sokka sang then stuck his tongue out. Zuko shook his head and chuckled. It was low and raspy and Sokka would do anything to hear it again. 

“Let’s go to my place, baby.” A light blush covered his nose and undamaged cheek. Sokka felt his own cheek flush red. 

“B-baby?” He stuttered. 

“Do you not like that? It’s just you were so willing to come with me, you put your number in my phone-”

“No, it’s fine. I like it.” He chuckled. Unfortunately, before Zuko could take him back to his apartment and rail him, Suki called. “Sorry, hold on. Hi, Suki, why are you calling me?”

“Sorry, I know you were gonna let the dark academia kid dick you down, but Haru’s reallllly sick an’ we need someone ta drive us home,” She slurred. 

“Why can’t you call an Uber?” He sighed. “I’m only mostly sober.” 

“And leave Haru’s Jeep parked outside a frat? I don’t fuckin’ think so,” she said. 

“Oh yeah, there’s that sexy beast involved.” He smirked at the thought of the new green Jeep that Haru had taunted him with ever since he first saw it. Zuko perked up when he said that, a predatory look flashed through his amber eyes. “Fine, I’ll do it. See you in a few.” 

“You’re the best! Sorry for cockblocking you,” she said. Sokka groaned before hanging up. 

“Who was that?” Zuko scowled. 

“Suki needs me to drive her and Haru home because he has a new car and doesn’t want it to get damaged by drunk frat boys,” he said. 

“Who was the ‘sexy beast’?” He said with air quotes. 

“Haru’s Jeep. She,” he whistled lowly, “is quite the car.”

“Well, you have to keep your friends safe.” Zuko nodded slowly. “C’mon.” He stood up and put his overcoat on. Sokka followed him back out to his car and they drove back to the party. “I’ll see you in art class, I guess,” Zuko said. 

“Yeah, thanks for the pizza. It was nice.” He smiled softly. Zuko smiled back. Sokka went back into the frat house and quickly found Suki rubbing Haru’s back over a trash can. 

“How was the goth?” She asked when Haru stopped vomiting. 

“He’s really hot and I was about to go home with him when you called,” he said. Haru gave him a thumbs up. “You’re so lucky I care about you.” Suki smiled. “Bring the trash can. We’re out of here. Keys?” He stretched his hand out and Haru dropped the keys into his palm. “ _ Allon-sy. _ ” 

“Was that a fucking Doctor Who refrence?” She rolled her eyes. 

“You’re the one who recognized it.” He shrugged as they led Haru out of the party. He glanced over to Zuko’s parked car, where he was making out with Jet. Sokka scowled and looked away. Suki followed his glance.

“Yikes, sorry about that, man. Next frat party?” She shrugged. 

“You own me,” he said. She grinned. He helped her up to her dorm before taking Haru back to their own. He sat up with him for the rest of the night to make sure he was okay. When Haru finally fell asleep, he rolled him onto his side and watched him. He too fell asleep around seven. 

He woke up when Haru started groaning. Sokka repeated the sound as he sat up. “Why’d you have to get so sick? I was gonna go home with Zuko,” he whined. 

“Alcohol poisoning isn’t a joke, Sokka.” Haru mumbled and rubbed his eyes. “You’re just lucky it wasn’t worse.” 

“If it was worse I would have taken you to the fricking hospital.” Sokka whispered, running a hand down his face. “Thanks for letting me drive your car by the way. She’s a beauty.” 

“She really is. Snow tires, four wheel drive, 270 horsepower. She’ll get me through the winter,” Haru said.

“Are you kidding me? You could hump that hood.” Sokka snickered. 

“Gross, Sokka.” Haru chuckled. “You should get me some aspirin, I feel like death.” 

“Why do I have to get it?” Sokka said. 

“Because I got alcohol poisoning while you got to have a nice night with your crush,” he said. 

“Ugh fair. You should have seen Zuko’s car. Now  _ that _ was sexy.” Sokka said while he got the aspirin and dumped a few into his hand. He handed Haru three before taking two himself. He wasn’t that hung over, thank the spirits for his excellent metabolism, but he was exhausted after his night watching over Haru.

“Oh yeah? What kind of car was it?” Haru asked after he took the aspirin. 

“A 2019 Mercedes S-class in black.”

“Oh, damn.  _ That’s _ a car,” Haru agreed. “I didn’t know he was rich.” 

“Me either. Apparently his dad is a CFO of something.” Sokka started making a pot of coffee for the two of them. “He said he might let me drive it because he’s a better friend than you are.” 

“Well you got what you wanted,” Haru said. 

“Indeed I did.” He smirked. “Sort of.” 

“Sort of?”

“When I was getting you out to the car I saw Zuko making out with Jet,” he said. 

“Oh yikes.” 

“It’s fine. It’s not like we’ve made a commitment to each other or anything. He can kiss whoever he wants. I would just prefer if he would kiss me.” He sat down at his desk. “Besides, I couldn’t leave you and Suki at that party. You guys are my friends. Your safety is more important that my sex life.” 

“Thanks, man.” Haru smiled. After drinking two pots of coffee between them, they met Suki at the cafeteria. 

“Hey boys.” She smiled up at them from under a pair of sunglasses. She had showered and was wearing a large sweatshirt. Sokka regretted not changing out of the clothes from last night because they still smelled a little like vomit. Sokka set down his plate and sat down next to her. “Haru, are you feeling okay?”

“I’ll feel better when I eat this soup.” He grumbled and sat down across from the two. 

“Here, drink this.” She slid over her glass for brown sludge. Haru took a sip without looking at it and spat it back into the cup. 

“What the fuck is that?” He coughed. 

“Prairie oyster,” she said. 

“That’s disgusting holy shit.” He hacked into his elbow and chugged his orange juice. “What the fuck is wrong with you, it’s horrible.” Sokka laughed at him while he tried to get the taste of egg, vinegar, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper off his tongue. 

“Does that actually work?” Sokka asked.

“Not in the way you’d think. It doesn’t make you feel better, it distracts from the pain by making you concentrate on the horrible taste,” she replied. Sokka gave her a look. 

“Where did you get the ingredients?”

“I have a minifridge.” She shrugged and sipped her coffee. 

“You terrify me.” Sokka whispered. 

“Good.” She whispered back. Sokka dug into his waffle “So… Jet and Zuko… What’s the story there?”

“They’re fuck buddies.” He shrugged, trying not to sound jealous. “And regular friends.” 

“Oh, you still have a chance then.” She smiled and bumped his shoulder. 

“Yeah, I guess.” He said noncommittally. “It just doesn’t feel good to encroach on an already formed relationship. Even if they are just fuck buddies.” 

“Sokka, don’t worry about it. Just be his friend and if it goes somewhere, it goes somewhere,” she said. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'll update it soon.


	3. Costume Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jet and Zuko plan their Halloween costume and run into Sokka and Suki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: There's a few jokes about eating disorders and being suicidal because using humor as a coping mechanism is my modus operandi. Also there's a little bit of homophobic language but it comes from a queer person and the author is a queer person so it's fine.

Zuko woke up in Jet’s bed alone and naked. He slipped his boxers back on before he walked into the bathroom. He jumped a little when he heard a loud bang from the kitchen, followed by Smellerbee sighing. He snickered. He looked in the mirror and cursed Jet for the hickey under his ear. He leaned closer to the mirror and poked at one of the hickies on his neck. “You’re a dick.” He called to Jet. He heard footsteps and Jet entered the tiny bathroom. An unlit cigarette hung from his lips like the protagonist of an indie movie. He wrapped his arms around Zuko’s waist and rested his chin on his shoulder. 

“What?” He smirked. 

“I can’t leave the house like this.” He motioned at the bruises. 

“Then don’t.” He pressed a kiss to Zuko’s jaw.

“Are you catching feelings?” Zuko’s lips curled into a mocking smile. 

“God no, I’m just procrastinating on my bio homework.” Jet scoffed and rolled his eyes. “So, I think I’m gonna be Spike Spiegel for Halloween. Wanna be my Faye Valentine?” 

“I’m Gren or I’m nothing,” Zuko replied. He had only watched Cowboy Bebop because Jet made him sit down and watch most of it in one sitting. Zuko quickly realized he had a type when he spent most of the watch time thirsting after Spike. 

“Fag.” 

“Shut up, you’re literally hanging off me right now.” Zuko tangled his fingers in Jet’s hair. 

“Yeah, but my socks are on.” Jet smirked and leaned into the touch. Zuko smiled at him in the mirror. 

“How was hanging out with Sokka?” 

“Fun. He’s a cool dude.” Zuko said. “He knows about...cars.” He racked his brain for describing words that wouldn’t make his crush on the boy obvious but ultimately drew a blank. 

“Wow, what a cool and unique interest he has.” Jet said sarcastically. 

“I don’t know. He’s, like, funny I guess.” 

“Pray you never have to work with a police sketch artist.” He sniggered. 

“Bold of you to assume I would ever go to the police.” 

“Good boy.” He purred. Zuko smacked the side of his head playfully. 

“Save it, you fuckin’ commie.” He snickered. “Why are you being so cuddly this morning anyway?” 

“It’s like 30* and rainy out and you’re warm.” He pressed his hips to Zuko’s ass and he could feel Jet’s half hard cock press against him. 

“Goddamn it, I should have known. You’re never this… tender.” Zuko rolled his eyes. Jet pulled him into a kiss. 

“So are you gonna wear fake tits for your Gren costume?” 

“Jesus Christ, just fuck me.” He sighed, a small smirk sliding across his lips. 

~*~

Later that day, Zuko and Jet found themselves in a Goodwill, shopping for a suit for Halloween. The store was filled with ugly pumpkin and scarecrow decorations and musty smelling clothing from the 90s. Zuko’s eyes burned. “How have you never been to a thrift store.” Jet frowned as he flicked through the rack of second hand suits. 

“I’m rich. I got everything I wanted as a kid.” Zuko shrugged as he looked at the row of button downs. He tentatively moved one with his index finger.

“Except for your father’s love,” Jet sighed wistfully. Zuko reached over and cuffed the back of his head. 

“Asshole,” he muttered. 

“Bitch.” Jet said, rubbing the place where Zuko hit. He delivered a quick jab to the space below Zuko’s ribs. 

“Ow, fuck you.” He chuckled, protecting his soft flesh with his arm. Jet smirked. 

“That’s just a taste of what’s gonna happen when the proletariat finally rises against the bourgeois,” he said. 

“When you inevitably hunt me for sport, please kill me quickly,” Zuko said.

“Fine, but only because you buy me dinner sometimes.” Jet held out the back of his fist and Zuko tapped the back of his own fist against it. He pulled a dark blue suit off the rack and held it up to his lanky frame. “I think this one’s a winner. It needs some alterations, but it should be good.” Zuko held out their basket and Jet put the suit in it. “Do you need anything for your costume?” 

“The amount of red button down shirts I own is unreal. I could go from now until Halloween wearing only red shirts without needing to do laundry.” He looked down at the red button down shirt he was wearing under his black overcoat. Jet laughed, falling into Zuko’s shoulder. Zuko broke out in a fit of laughter and leaned into Jet. They got a look from an old woman in the next row. 

“Zuko?” A familiar voice called. Zuko looked up and saw Sokka and Suki by the skirt rack.

Zuko cleared his throat and waved. “Hi Sokka, Suki.” He stepped away from Jet. 

The two of them walked over to him and Jet. “What are you guys doing here?” Suki asked. 

“Shopping for Halloween costumes.” Zuko held up the basket. 

“Oh, cool. What are you guys gonna be?” Sokka said. 

“He’s gonna be Spike from Cowboy Bebop and I’m gonna be one of the side characters. I don’t know if you guys have seen that show,” he said. He fixed his collar in an attempt to hide the hickies from the previous night. 

“I have. Which one?” Suki said. 

“Gren? The nonbinary icon?” 

“Oh yeah. So are you gonna have fake tits?” She smirked. 

“Oh my God.” Zuko sighed. 

“That’s what I said,” Jet exclaimed. He grinned and hooked his arm around Zuko’s neck. He could see Sokka’s bristle at the action. He swallowed and slipped out of Jet’s grip. “So what are you guys gonna be?” 

“I haven’t decided yet, but if you don’t have a Faye Valentine yet, I would like to apply for the roll,” Suki said. 

“Hell yeah.” Jet’s grin grew impossibly wider. “We’ve got the rest of the crew, Bee and Longshot are going to be Ed and Jet, so if you want to round out the gang you are very welcome.”

“What the frick are you guys talking about?” Sokka crossed his arms. 

“Oh, it’s an anime from the 90s,” Suki said. 

“Nerds,” Sokka said. 

“What are you gonna be?” Jet said defensively. 

“Well I’ve never really celebrated Halloween before so I haven’t decided yet.” He straightened his back and set his jaw. “But when I do it’s not gonna be some nerdy shit.” His comment would have struck harder if he wasn’t 5’6 and wearing a Star Trek shirt. 

“You’re one to talk.” Suki jabbed his chest with her pointer finger. “I’m not the one who was mouthing along to Lord of the Rings on movie night.” 

“Okay, shut the frick up.”

“Which Lord of the Rings was it?” Zuko asked, despite not knowing anything about Lord of the Rings. 

“ _ The Return of the King _ ,” Sokka replied. Zuko nodded like that meant something to him. “Oh! I could be Aragorn.” He pulled his ponytail out and let his hair fall around his face in soft waves. He looked up at Zuko broodingly. Zuko’s eyes went wide and his face flushed. “Today we fight!” He said, imitating Viggo Morgensen. He grabbed the collar of Zuko’s shirt and pulled him down so they were nose to nose. “For Frodo!” Zuko swallowed and thought he was going to drop dead. 

“Th-that would be a good costume.” He stuttered. Sokka’s hair looked so soft. His eyes flicked down to Sokka’s lips that were only inches away from his own. Zuko desperately wanted to close the space between them but managed to maintain his self control until Sokka let go of his shirt. He stood up straight and fixed his collar.

“Holy shit, Zuko is that a hickey?” Sokka exclaimed. He pulled on Zuko’s collar again, revealing the purple mark. Zuko curled in on himself, his ears turning hot with embarrassment. He glared at Jet, who laughed at him. 

“I’m gonna kill you.” He hissed. Jet winked and blew him a kiss. Sokka looked between the two and scowled. 

“Oh, right, you two are a  _ thing _ ,” he grumbled. 

“No we’re not.” Zuko’s face flushed even more. He ignored the glare that Jet gave him. “We’re just friends.” 

“Friends don’t give each other hickies.” Suki pointed out snarkily. 

“That’s not fucking helpful, Suki.” He snapped. She recoiled and frowned. “There’s a big fucking difference between hooking up sometimes and being a  _ thing _ .” He bristled. His face twisted deeper into a snarl and his knuckles went white as he gripped the shopping basket. “What Jet and I do doesn’t mean fucking anything.” 

“Hey, it’s okay, she was just teasing.” Sokka tentatively placed his hand on Zuko’s arm. “So was I. It’s no big deal. What you and Jet do behind closed doors really doesn’t matter to me.” He smiled softly. Zuko melted. 

“Right. Sorry. I didn’t need to yell.” He looked at the ground and tucked a piece of hair behind his ear. “I’m Sorry, Suki.” 

“No worries.” She said, still frowning. He glanced up at Jet, who was scowling at him. 

“Come on, Zuko. We’re leaving.” Jet said, gesturing toward the exit with his head. Zuko swallowed hard and followed obediently. He didn’t want to lose Jet as a friend so he figured it would be best to do what he said. He paid for their merchandise and they left. They sat in Zuko’s car silently for a few moments. “I hope you feel like an asshole,” Jet said finally. 

“I really do,” Zuko replied. 

“Good.” Jet buckled his seatbelt and stared through the window. Zuko’s mind briefly flitted back to the night before when Jet had whispered praises into his skin, but he decided it was best not to dwell on that memory. 

“Do you want me to take you home?” He asked, trying to avoid stewing in silence for too long. 

“I think you at least owe me lunch,” Jet said. 

“Okay, where do you want to go?” 

“Think you’re forgetting something before we leave.” Jet crossed his arms and slouched further into his seat. 

“What? Oh, right.” He turned and looked at Jet so he could apologize properly. “Jet I’m really sorry I said what we do doesn’t mean anything. I was angry and I wasn’t thinking straight, but I shouldn’t have said that. It was unnecessarily mean. You do mean something to me, Jet.” 

“There we go. Let’s go get some Mcdonalds.” He smirked, knowing Zuko’s hatred for the fast food chain. 

“You fucking dickhead.” 

“You’re the one who said I didn’t matter.”

“That’s not true, Jesk, I said what we do doesn’t matter. As in our pointless hookups.” Zuko rolled his eyes, using a nickname he picked up from  _ What We Do in the Shadows _ last Halloween. 

“They always have a point for me,” Jet smirked and grabbed his dick through his sweatpants. Zuko smacked the back of his head. Jet reached over and pinched the skin on the back of his hand.

“Fuck you. Stop being gross.” Zuko rubbed the red crescents in his skin. 

“No.” He grinned devilishly. Zuko rolled his eyes again and started the car. Jet rolled down the window and lit a cigarette. “So when did you start crushing on Sokka?” He said around the cigarette. 

“What? I don’t like Sokka. He’s, he’s just a friend.” Zuko had to concentrate really hard to not crash the car and end both of their lives. 

“Okay, so you insulted your best friend and vehemently denied our relationship being anything more than sexual because you have art together. Let’s not forget about how you looked like you were gonna pass out every time he touched you and that you went on a date with him last night.” Jet offered him the cigarette and Zuko flicked it out the window. “Bitch,” he muttered. 

“First off, that wasn’t a date. We just got pizza,” Zuko said. 

“I am literally the only person you ever get food with. That’s basically a proposal coming from you.” He said as he lit another cigarette. 

“It’s not my fault eating is a chore.” Zuko reached over and took the cigarette from Jet. This time he actually took a few drags and handed it back to Jet.

“Holy shit, go to therapy.” Jet chuckled. He put his feet up on the dashboard. 

“It’s fine. I have my uncle.” Zuko shrugged. 

“Dude, you’re gonna die,” Jet said. 

“When?” Zuko said. 

“I can’t tell if you’re trying to be edgy or if you’re genuinely suicidal,” he said. 

“Two things can be real,” Zuko said. 

“I would ask if you’re okay, but I think I already know the answer to that question,” Jet said. 

“Yee- fucking- haw,” he said flatly. “Pick some music.” Jet turned on the radio and Zuko’s George Gershwin CD started playing. 

“Why the Goddamn fuck do you listen to jazz? He said while he plugged in his phone. “Aren’t you goth?”

“I’m not goth and that’s George Gershwin. He’s one of the best classical composers of the 20th century,” he said.

“You’re so fuckin’ pretentious.” Jet rolled his eyes and shuffled his music. “Oh my God, it’s our song.” He grinned when  _ Hayloft _ by Mother Mother started playing. 

“Just cause we fucked in a barn does  _ not _ mean this is our song.” 


	4. Geodes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Must I have a chapter summary? Is in not enough to have previous chapters?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I uploaded a different version of this chapter a few weeks ago, but I wasn't very proud of it. So here's a better version that's well edited and actually good. 
> 
> You can give me a follow on tumblr [here](https://cowpokezuko.tumblr.com/) and instagram [here](https://www.instagram.com/thepoormediocreartist/) Go like my Hamlet AU on tumblr.

Sokka followed Suki through the racks of skirts and dresses. He looked at a few longingly and wondered if he should buy one. He knew Suki wouldn’t judge him if he did, but the thought of wearing a skirt on campus for anyone to see made a knot tighten in his stomach. “So what should I be for Halloween. We don’t really have it up North.” 

“Why, ‘cause it’s an America thing?” 

“More so that it’s a colonizer thing.”

“That’s fair.” Suki nodded.

“Besides, it’s probably like -10* celsius right now and that is no temperature for costumes,” he added. 

“What is that in fahrenheit?” Suki frowned. 

“Like 14*.” He said after quickly doing the conversion in his head. 

“How do you know that?”

“Well you just multiply the number by 1.8 and add 32,” he said. 

“That’s too much math,” she said. Sokka rolled his eyes. “For your costume, just pick a character you like and be that.” She shrugged. Sokka noticed a long blue prom dress and got an idea. 

“Any character?” 

“Yeah, you got one?” She asked. Sokka pulled the dress off the rack and held it up to his body. It was a floor length satin blue ball gown adorned with rhinestones on the v neck collar. The chest area wasn’t too big so he didn’t think he would need to do too many alterations. 

“I’m gonna be Cinderella.” He smiled. 

“I love it.” Suki smiled back. “Let’s go find you some shoes.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the shoe section. 

“Do you think we’ve advanced enough as a society for me to just wear crocs instead of heels?” He said.

“Yeah, probably. If you have the crown and the dress you’ll probably get the message across. Just keep them in relaxed mode instead of adventure mode. Also, you better hope Zuko doesn’t just give up when he finds you lost a croc instead of a glass slipper.” She laughed. 

“Shut up!” He said, his face going hot. 

“What, he left already,” she said. “With Jet.”

“God, don’t fucking remind me,” he groaned. “I can’t believe I have the same type as  _ him _ .” Suki giggled. 

“He’s not  _ that _ bad. Besides, you’re just jealous because he has what you want,” she said. 

“No, I’m not,” Sokka pouted. “So who’s Faye Valentine?” 

“She’s a bounty hunter but she’s, like, really pretty and cool,” she said. “Now I have to buy a whole costume. Come on, princess.” She grabbed the sleeve of his sweatshirt and pulled him toward the shorts rack. 

“So we talk about my love life way too much, have you met anyone?” Sokka asked while Suki searched through the shorts. 

“Nope,” she said, popping the ‘p’. 

“Oh, you  _ have _ !” Sokka grinned. “Who is it.” 

“No one.” She blushed. 

“Suki, I have told you the depths of my crush on Zuko. At least tell me the person’s name.” He put his hands on her shoulder and turned her toward him.

Her head lolled backwards and she groaned. “I don’t know if you know her, but Ty lee. She’s a dance major.” 

“Is she the one with the braid?” Sokka asked, letting go of Suki’s shoulders. 

“Yeah.” She nodded. “She’s in my ballet class.” 

“That’s so cute.” He smiled. “She seems really nice. You should ask her out.” 

“We’ll see.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Maybe when you stop being a pussy about asking Zuko out.” 

“Hey, he was fully ready to take me home last night, you just had the audacity to tear me away.” Sokka scoffed. 

“Then ask him out tomorrow. You have art, right?” Suki said. She turned back to look at the rack of shorts. 

“Maybe, we’ll see.” He frowned. 

~*~

Zuko missed Monday’s art class. Sokka was so bored out of his mind he didn’t even remember what Suki said about asking Zuko out. He barely listened to the normally entertaining teacher drone on about oil painting techniques. 

Zuko was there on Tuesday, but he had a black eye, half healed bruises on his jaw, and a large bandage on his nose. 

“What the fuck happened to you?” Sokka asked when Zuko sat down. 

“I got into a fight.” He grumbled. 

“Really? With who?” 

“Some fuckin’ frat boys,” he said.

“Shit, how’d that happen?”

“Jet’s gang and I were at a party on Sunday and some fucking guys were harassing Bee so we were like ‘uh, fuck that also fuck you’ and beat the shit out of them.” He punched his fist into his palm. 

“Jesus Christ, man. I mean I guess they deserved it but that’s rough, buddy.” Without thinking, Sokka brought his hand up to brush the bruise on Zuko’s jaw. He pulled it away when Zuko winced. “Sorry,” he whispered. “So is your nose broken or what?” 

“Yeah, I spent yesterday lying in bed cursing Chad’s, or whatever the fuck his name was, thick skull.” He shook his head. “Fucker thought it’d be a good idea to headbutt me right in the nose.” 

“Was it effective?” He said through a laugh.

“Yeah, that ended the fight,” he said. 

“Do you get into fights often?” Sokka said. 

“Not anymore. Not since I moved out of my dad’s house. I took up embroidery to deal with my temper.” He smiled sheepishly. 

“ _ You _ do embroidery?” Sokka snorted. Zuko nodded. “Are you any good?” 

“I mean art is subjective and it’s more about the emotional release of stabbing something over and over again.” He pulled his phone out of his overcoat and after a few taps he handed it over to Sokka. It showed a picture of a detailed embroidered peahen stretched over a wooden hoop. 

“Zuko, this is amazing.” Sokka gaped. “How long have you been doing this?” 

“Dunno, since I was like sixteen.” He shrugged. “So like three years.” 

“Holy shit dude, that’s fuckin’ dope.” He handed Zuko’s phone back to him. “Why peahens?” 

“We raised peafowl back in Cali. They are probably the worst birds ever, but the hens were tolerable sometimes. I’ve always been more of a fan of waterfowl. Like ducks and shit,” he said. 

“We had a few arctic fowl that hung around our yard back home. My sister and I liked to sit outside and feed them when it was warm enough.” Sokka smiled fondly at the memory. 

“That sounds, um, nice,” Zuko said. Sokka couldn’t believe this was the same man who invited him back to his place a few nights earlier. “So, what are you doing tonight?”

“Haru and I were maybe gonna watch  _ Star Wars _ ,” Sokka said. “But it’s not set in stone.” 

“Cool.” Zuko nodded. Sokka looked at him expectantly, but all he said was, “I’ve never seen  _ Star Wars _ .”

“How?” Sokka gaped. 

“I, uh, mostly watch A24 films,” he said. 

“Spirits.” Sokka slapped his palm to his forehead. “What about when you were a kid?” 

“I think I only watched Tim Burton movies and  _ Fantastic Mr. Fox _ ,” he said. 

“Okay, emo boy.” Sokka rolled his eyes, but ‘Emo Boy’ by Ayesha Erotica played in his head. 

“You can pry  _ Frankenweenie _ out of my cold dead hands,” Zuko said. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that one. I’ve seen, like, _ Corpse Bride  _ and that’s it,” Sokka said.

“Solid. Tim Burton is racist anyway, you’re not missing much.” He shrugged.. “However, you don’t get to berate me about not watching Star Wars if you haven’t seen  _ Nightmare Before Christmas _ ,” he said.

“I don’t celebrate Christmas or Halloween.” Sokka shrugged. 

“Neither do I, but it’s a good movie,” he replied. “Y’know if you want, you and Haru could come over to my place and watch Star Wars there. Get out of the dorm and all that.” His soft brown eyes widened behind his pince-nez. “Then I would finally see Star Wars.” Sokka’s cheeks went hot. 

“Y-yeah, that’s, yeah that sounds fun.” He smiled. 

~*~

When Sokka got back to his dorm, Haru was sitting on the floor breaking open geodes. “What’s good, rocky?” Sokka said and sat down across from him. He picked up one of the broken rocks and examined the sparkly purple crystals inside. 

“My dad sent me some geodes from his latest dig.” He smiled. “He’s up in Thunder Bay studying the amethyst deposits. Do you want to try one?” He held out one of the smaller rocks. 

“Hell yeah.” Sokka grinned and took the rock and mallet from Haru. 

“Okay, put the rock on the floor and use this mallet and this pick to crack it open,” he said. Sokka held the metal pick against the rock and hit the backend with the mallet until cracks appeared on the rough grey surface of the rock. A few more taps and the whole thing split open, revealing the glittering purple insides. 

“Yo! That’s fuckin’ dope.” Sokka grinned. “Tell your dad I love him.” 

“Yeah, why not,” Haru laughed. Sokka set the two halves of the geode on his desk next to his lava lamp. 

“Oh, Zuko invited us over to watch Star Wars at his place,” Sokka said. 

“I didn’t know Zuko liked Star Wars,” Haru said.

“He doesn’t. He’s never seen them before,” he said. “He said he was raised on a diet of Tim Burton and Wes Anderson.”

“Wow, that’s very pretentious of him. I can see why you two get along.” He smirked. 

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” Sokka frowned. 

“Nothing, Mr. If anyone one touches my Star Trek box set I will kill them,” Haru said. 

“I just don’t like it when people touch my stuff!” Sokka said, running his hand over said box set. 

“Fair enough.” Haru shrugged. Sokka sat on his bed and opened his laptop. He worked on his physics homework to the sound of Haru cracking open his rocks. Haru’s phone rang and he went outside to talk to whoever called. When he came back, he had a soft look on his face. 

“Who was it?” Sokka raised an eyebrow. 

“Teo.” He smiled. 

“The kid in your lit class?” He asked. 

“Yeah. He invited me over to talk about our writing project tonight, so I think we may have to postpone the Star Wars thing.” He said, picking through the mess that was his closet. 

“Oh, okay, cool, yeah. Have fun working on your writing thing. I might still hang out with Zuko.” Sokka nodded, knitting his brow. He laid back on his bed and pulled out his phone. He quickly texted Zuko the new update and bit back a smile when Zuko asked if he still wanted to come over. Sokka put down his phone for a few minutes before finally texting back a yes. 

Zuko picked him up a few hours later, a new bandage taped to his nose. “Hey,” he said when Sokka got into the car. “How was your afternoon?”

“Good, Haru gave me a rock.” He smiled. 

“What?” Zuko raised his eyebrow. 

“Technically it was a geode, but that has less of a comedic impact.” Sokka shrugged. 

“Nice. I think you have better friends than I do,” He said. 

“What does that mean?” Sokka raised an eyebrow.

“Jet’s being a bitch about going to Hamlet with me next weekend,” he said. 

Sokka swallowed hard. “I’d go to Hamlet with you.” A shy smile flitted across his lips.

“Really? Sweet.” He smirked. “So, what do you want to do?” His eyes flicked down Sokka’s body. Sokka suddenly felt self conscious about the blue tank top that was tucked into his black joggers. He hoped Zuko, immaculately dressed as usual, wasn’t judging him for his poor fashion choices. He pulled his flannel back over his shoulder and looked at the ground. 

“I haven’t eaten anything since lunch so dinner would be nice.” Sokka said and started to pull his hair back into it’s usual wolf tail. 

“Wait.” Zuko wrapped his hand around Sokka’s wrist. “Your hair looks nice down,” He said earnestly. Sokka brought his hands away from his hair, Zuko’s warm fingers still pressed against his skin. He looked up into Zuko’s dark brown eyes and licked his lips. “Where do you want to go to dinner?” 

“Oh, uh, I don’t know. I don’t really know the area outside of campus.” Sokka pulled his wrist out of Zuko’s grip. 

“There’s a really good smokehouse not far from here.” Zuko said and ran a hand through his hair. “They have good barbecue.” He turned the key in the ignition. 

“Oh fuck yeah. I love smoked meats. That’s genuinely all we eat up North. Like seriously, plant based food is way too expensive to be a regular part of our diet,” Sokka said.

“Wild, we had a whole orchard in our backyard growing up.” Zuko said as he pulled out of the parking lot. “I fuckin’ lived off fresh oranges from ages, like, three to thirteen. I would also just eat straight up lemons but I feel like that’s different.” 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Sokka gave him a look. 

“I don’t know.” Zuko chuckled. 

“At least my weird childhood habits weren’t, like, eating lemons.” Sokka scrunched up his face. 

“Oh yeah? What  _ were _ your weird childhood habits.” Zuko cast him a side eye when he slowed down at a stop sign. 

“I, uh, I don’t remember.” He lied. He leaned on the door and tried to block the memory of sitting in his dad’s truck, driving to the hospital on the day his mom died from working its way to the front of his mind. Zuko raised his eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. Sokka was thankful that he didn’t try to pry any further. “So what’s the dress code for this place?” Sokka asked.

“I don’t know. It’s kind of a millennial hipster place so that’s probably fine. I don’t think they give a shit though.” He shrugged. He put his arm around Sokka’s chair while he parallel parked, his warm fingers brushing against Sokka’s neck. A shiver ran down Sokka’s spine when he rested his hand on his shoulder, their eyes briefly meeting as Zuko turned to look behind them. They got out of the car and Sokka looked at the smokehouse across the street. Zuko dug around his wallet, searching for quarters. “You don’t happen to have any change, do you?”

“Nope, I only have Canadian coins.” Sokka shrugged. Zuko frowned. He reached into his trouser pocket and grinned manically when he pulled out a few quarters. He rolled one of the coins over his knuckles, into his palm, which he showed to Sokka, closed his fist, and when he opened it again, the coin was gone. 

“Wow, close up magic,” Sokka said flatly. “I learned how to do that in, like, grade six. I wanted to impress girls.”

“I learned close up magic so I could pick pocket people.” Zuko said as he put the coins in the meter. “And so I could impress girls.” 

“How very edgy of you,” Sokka snickered. 

“Yeah, you could say I own all of MCR’s albums on CD,” Zuko said. 

“Really?” Soka raised his eyebrows.

“They’re in the back seat of my car.” He stepped out into the street without looking. Sokka grabbed his arm before a car could hit him. 

“Nice going, edgelord.” He smirked. 

“Thanks, man.” Zuko said. This time, Sokka led him out into the street, his hand still on Zuko’s arm. They waited in the entryway to be seated and Sokka looked at the menu posted on the wall while Zuko leaned next to him. 

“Why do restaurants name food the weirdest shit. What the fuck is a ‘henny penny’?” Sokka frowned. Zuko shrugged. “Just call it a chicken sandwich.” 

“Maybe they think they’re funny,” he said. 

“Well they’re not. There’s no set up or punchline and it’s not abstract enough to be funny in that Gen Z insane humor kind of way.” Sokka frowned. 

“Okay, master of comedy, what do you propose? Puns?” Zuko said. 

“At least puns have all the elements of a joke. Whether they’re good or not is based mostly on delivery.” Sokka leaned against the wall. Zuko turned to look at him and raised his eyebrow. “You know the vine that’s like ‘run in here and get your juice,’ and the kid runs in and breaks the stove? That is the perfect joke. The best set up, someone pouring oil on the ground and calling the kid in, and the best punchline, slipping on the floor and breaking the oven door. That’s the peak of comedy.” Zuko snickered. Sokka cheeks reddened at sound. He’d only heard it a few times and the low, raspy laughter alway caught him off guard. “Oh, sorry,” he mumbled. 

“Zuko?” The maitre d’ called. 

“C’mon.” Zuko tapped Sokka’s chest and followed the voice. He smirked at Sokka over his shoulder, stray hairs flying around his face that was covered in bruises, his coat flapping behind him like wings, and his good eye glowing almost gold in the warm restaurant lighting. In that moment, Sokka would have followed him into the sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and Kudos are much appreciated!!

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah so this is another one of those things where I set everything in Minnesota because MN doesn't get enough rep. It's a good state, y'all are just mean! Anyway, thanks for reading, I'll update this soon :-)


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